used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He was an incurable misanthrope and unpopular beyond words.
ancestornounUS /ˈænsestər/
someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was one of the most fortunate and unfortunate creatures in the world.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading He was an incurable misanthrope and unpopular beyond words.
bitingadjectiveUS /ˈbaɪtɪŋ/
capable of wounding
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
brought into existence
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
Bruton
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
plural of “creature” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading He was one of the most fortunate and unfortunate creatures in the world.
cross-grainedadjective
difficult to deal with
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
dispositionnounUS /ˌdɪspəˈzɪʃən/
your usual mood
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
Dixon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
having unexpected good fortune
From this reading He was one of the most fortunate and unfortunate creatures in the world.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
depressingly dark
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was one of the most fortunate and unfortunate creatures in the world.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
Hubbard'snounUS /ˈhʌbərdz/
possessive form of “hubbard” — a United States writer of science fiction and founder of Scientology (1911-1986)
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
incurableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkjʊrəbəl/
incapable of being cured
From this reading He was an incurable misanthrope and unpopular beyond words.
inheritedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈherətɪd/
occurring among members of a family usually by heredity
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
misanthropenounUS /ˈmɪsənθroʊp/
someone who dislikes people in general
From this reading He was an incurable misanthrope and unpopular beyond words.
used to form the superlative
From this reading He was one of the most fortunate and unfortunate creatures in the world.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was one of the most fortunate and unfortunate creatures in the world.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He was one of the most fortunate and unfortunate creatures in the world.
a customary way of operation or behavior
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
schoolfellows
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We had been schoolfellows.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
spoonnounUS /spuːn/
a piece of cutlery with a shallow bowl-shaped container and a handle; used to stir or serve or take up food
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune
From this reading He was one of the most fortunate and unfortunate creatures in the world.
unpopularadjectiveUS /ˌʌnˈpɑːpjələr/
regarded with disfavor or lacking general approval
From this reading He was an incurable misanthrope and unpopular beyond words.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was one of the most fortunate and unfortunate creatures in the world.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We had been schoolfellows.
at any time that; every time that
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had inherited from some cross-grained ancestor a biting tongue and a gloomy disposition.
the words that are spoken
From this reading He was an incurable misanthrope and unpopular beyond words.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading He was one of the most fortunate and unfortunate creatures in the world.
a late time of life
From this reading The Meeting Whenever in London my practice for years had been to put up at my friend Dixon Hubbard's rooms in Bruton Street.
